Magpies show might in round 12

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IN THE ACTION: Kalangadoo's Brad Auld kicks clear under pressure from Glencoe's Tom Edwards when the Kalangadoo Magpies defeated the Glencoe Murphies on Saturday in round 12 of the Mid South East Football League. Picture: JUSTIN McMANUS

Brad Auld Tom Edwards Crop 2019070620190706 TBW Newsgroup
IN THE ACTION: Kalangadoo’s Brad Auld kicks clear under pressure from Glencoe’s Tom Edwards when the Kalangadoo Magpies defeated the Glencoe Murphies on Saturday in round 12 of the Mid South East Football League. Picture: JUSTIN McMANUS

KALANGADOO 14.12 (96) d GLENCOE 13.10 (88)

A NEW-LOOK Magpie outfit overpowered the Murphies and achieved a hard-fought eight-point win at home on Saturday in round 12 of the Mid South East Football League.

Although Kalangadoo led at every change, Glencoe was always a chance of winning.

After a break of 37 years, Kalangadoo wore the pre-1983 jumper design as part of its Heritage Round and annual sponsors recognition day.

It had last been seen in the winning grand final of 1982 when then captain-coach Roger Doody began a hat-trick of premierships.

Doody was among the on-lookers at the game along with 2000 premiership coach Peter Collins and dual Walkley-award winning photographer Justin McManus whose two nephews Tye and Sam McManus were playing for the Magpies.

The old-style guernsey also featured the club’s many other premiership years dating back to the 1920s in writing on the front panel and the occasion must have over-awed the Glencoe players.

The loss kept the Murphies in third place and they are still some distance away from ending a long premiership drought of 12 seasons.

Ever since the club was formed in 1910, it has won at least one flag in every full decade of competition with the exception of the 1970s.

Indeed, Glencoe went without a grand final win between 1968 and 1985,

One of the stand-outs for the visitors was star recruit Brodie Foster whose five goals took him to 68 for the season.

Foster is not bound to the goal front and his good play up the field may be resulting in Mail Medal votes.

It is rare for a player to win both the league goalkicking trophy and the best and fairest medal but Foster is well placed to scoop both awards in his first year with the Murphies.

It was not a good result for reliable Glencoe defender Trent Hawke who played his 250th senior game.

After a successful underage career with the Murphies, Hawke made his senior debut in 2001.

Hawke has been a member of Glencoe’s past two premiership sides in 2004 and 2007.

In round 13, Glencoe should achieve a second win over Tantanoola in 2019 when it hosts the Tigers.

Kalangadoo’s attempt to stay in touch with the ladder leaders will begin at Kongorong.

It will be followed by Port MacDonnell (home), Hatherleigh (away), Nangwarry (home) and Mount Burr (away) with a bye in the final round on August 24.

ROBE 16.22 (118) d TANTANOOLA 4.6 (30)

Despite the enforced absence of injured coach Jack Kelly, the Roosters had too much firepower for the Roosters at Tigerland and prevailed by the decisive margin of 88 points.

As Hatherleigh had the bye, Robe has now moved to the top of the premiership table.

Kelly’s injured knee will keep him on the sidelines for several more weeks while the home side had a number of players on the injured list including Braydn Reilly and Robbie Versace.

Robe Football club vice president Roger Sweetman said the game at Tigerland gave his team an opportunity to further develop depth within the seaside club with six of its regular A grade players unavailable due to illness and injury.

Sweetman said this provided a chance for Robe promising senior colts, Patrick Matthews, Harry McInnes, Harry Bigmore, Terrence Wilfred, Brandon Nicolle and George Dutton to display their skills on the big stage and gain experience at the senior level.

According to Sweetman, the young colts fitted well into the style of play demanded and worked well with the senior players especially in the forward half where they contributed eight of the team’s 16 goals.

“Robe players controlled the game from the outset and it was only their inaccuracy in front of goal that prevented a massive blow out in the score,” Sweetman said.

“Robe’s goal kicking has been an issue for the team all year and the team will need to work on this aspect of their game in preparation for the upcoming finals campaign.

“Jonny Agnew, Tom Williams, Quinton McCallum and Tom Wachtel controlled the midfield while Jed Jarrett, Zac Deane and Kane Cuthbertson dominated the forward line.

“Deane was unstoppable at full forward.

“Jake Wehl, Wilfred and Egan Regnier ensured that the Tigers were not able to easily move the ball past their half forward line and continually drove the ball into Robe’s forward half.

“Tantanoola’s players tried hard all day, attempting to bottle the play up and restrict the smooth running, free flowing Robe game style and to this end they did have some success, however the 38 scoring shots to 10 showed how dominate Robe were.

“Robe has been fortunate over the past two years with the scheduling of its byes alongside the carnival weekends as this has provided the club with an extended break which allows the players to remain fresh and manage niggling injuries.

“Coach Jack Kelly uses these breaks to train the players hard without them incurring injury and soreness from constant matches.”

Tantanoola coach Josh Peters missed the game as he was playing in a charity game in Melbourne over the weekend.

Due to the absence of Peters, the coaching duties were shared by his assistants Sam Haniford and Hayden Brown.

It has been a momentous weekend for Peters as it also became public knowledge that he would not be seeking a fourth consecutive season as coach.

The Tigers have appointed Edenhope/Apsley assistant coach Jak Ryan to the role for 2020.

He has won a premiership and numerous individual awards at his home club of South Gambier and stands over 195cm tall.

Tantanoola travels up the Mile Hill in round 13 while Robe has the bye.

The Roosters now have the luxury of a three-week break from the playing arena and do not play again until they host third-placed Glencoe on July 27.

MOUNT BURR 20.9 (129) d KONGORONG 5.5 (35)

THE many supporters of Mount Burr breathed a sigh of relief at 5pm on Saturday when the final siren sounded and it showed their club had defeated Kongorong by 94 points.

Despite a long injury list, the Mozzies won a one-sided contest which was in no real doubt after quarter time when the difference was already 26 points.

Mozzie coach Tom Renzi returned to the fray after missing two matches with injury, but players of the calibre of Dylan Ridley and James Wallis were sidelined for this reason.

As ever, the Mount Burr teens were to the fore.

Cody Davis also impressed and he is back with the Mozzies after time at other clubs.

In picking up its sixth win of the season, Mount Burr avoided a rare hat-trick of losses, but could not dislodge Kalangadoo from fourth place.

Once again, the Hawks also decided to give some of its talented colts a run in A Grade.

With the finals now out of reach, the club hierarchy had signalled it will blood as many as 11 colts in senior company before the end of the minor round next month.

Visiting coach Will Whitty had been keen to succeed at one of his former clubs where he had played more than 200 games, won seven premierships and was its vice president and a major sponsor.

Kongorong president Scott Cram said the Hawks have reappointed Whitty for another season and he has the option to continue at the helm in 2021 if it is his desire.

After the break for the annual South Australian country football championships in Port Pirie, Mount Burr travels to Port MacDonnell while Kongorong hosts Kalangadoo in a battle of the birds.

PORT MACDONNELL 25.9 (159) d NANGWARRY 7.7 (49)

THE competition’s best wet weather playing surface has allowed the Demons to kick away to a 110-point win at the home ground of the Saints.

Port MacDonnell banked some valuable percentage as it soared on account of its ability to keep Nangwarry to a low score.

Despite the imbalance in the scores, it was a far better showing from Nangwarry than its arguably worst performance at the Bay on April 27 when it was belted by 188 points.

The Demons retain the slimmest of hopes of playing in the major round for the first time since 2017, while the Saints are almost assured of another wooden spoon.

The seasiders were hoping the colours would be lowered of both Kalangadoo and Mount Burr, but it was not to be.

Once again, George McWaters and Ricky Lindner did the “heavy lifting” for the Saints and many fair-minded MSEFL supporters would hope they stay at the club in 2020 as its re-building continues.

Teen Joel Virtanen booted four goals for Nangwarry.

After the mid-season break, Port MacDonnell hosts Mount Burr while Nangwarry travels to Hatherleigh.

The remaining minor round games for the seasiders are Kalangadoo (away), Tantanoola (home), Robe (away), Glencoe (Home) and Kongorong (away).